 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 59.70%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 County results Congressional district results
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2012 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the2012 General Election in which all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia participated.Kentucky voters chose eight electors to represent them in theElectoral College via a popular vote pittingincumbentDemocraticPresidentBarack Obama and his running mate,Vice PresidentJoe Biden, againstRepublican challenger and formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney and his running mate,CongressmanPaul Ryan.
Romney carried Kentucky by a landslide margin, winning 60.47% of the vote to Obama's 37.78%. This represented a margin of 22.69%, a great improvement for the Republican Party from2008, when they won with a 16.22% margin. Although Kentucky had been won by Southern DemocratBill Clinton twice in the 1990s, Obama was seen as a poor cultural fit for the state, and he did not compete here either time he ran. The Romney campaign also attacked Obama's administration as being hostile to thecoal industry, historically an important part of the state's economy. Consequently, Obama suffered a historically poor showing in the traditionally staunchly Democratic coalfields ofEastern Kentucky, where many counties that had even voted by wide margins for landslide Democratic losers likeGeorge McGovern andWalter Mondale defected to the Republicans in 2012.
Knott County, which had given Clinton 73% of the vote in1996 and nearly 72% to Mondale in1984 (despite the latter losing nationally by more than 18 percentage points and only carrying one state), gave Romney 73% of the vote in 2012. EvenElliott County, the only county in the state in which Obama had broken 60% in 2008, barely held on in 2012, giving Obama a narrow plurality win, his only victory in the region, and one of just four county wins in the entire state. This marked the first time since the county's founding that the Democratic nominee won less than 60% of the vote in Elliott County, and would prove to be the conclusion of Elliott's longest-in-the-nation, 140-year Democratic voting streak. The county would flip to the GOP by a landslide marginfour years later.Wolfe County, which had returned to the Democratic Party in2004 and2008 after casting its first-ever Republican vote forGeorge W. Bush in2000, went for Romney by over twenty points. As such, Obama became the first Democrat to ever win the White House without carrying Wolfe County since its founding in 1860,Menifee County since its founding in 1869, or Henderson County since the founding of the Republican Party.
The only part of the state where Obama won convincingly wasJefferson County, the most urban and populous county in the state, and home toLouisville. He also eked out a close win inFayette County, the second-most populous county, home toLexington. Despite losing five counties he won in 2008, he managed to flipFranklin County, home to the state capital ofFrankfort, which he had narrowly lost in 2008. As of the2024 presidential election, this is the last time that Elliott and Franklin Counties voted for a Democrat in a presidential election. Obama is the only Democrat to ever win two terms without carrying the state at least once.
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
 Barack Obama Uncommitted Tie County Winner Obama: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Uncommitted: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%Vote share Kentucky results by county | |||||||||||||||||||
Barack Obama's only "opponent" in the primary was the "Uncommitted" ballot option, which garnered more than 42% of the primary vote, making Kentucky one of Obama's worst contested primary results.[2]
| Kentucky Democratic primary, 2012[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
 Barack Obama(incumbent) | 119,293 | 57.85% | 39 |
| Uncommitted | 86,925 | 42.15% | 34 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Kentucky results by county Mitt Romney (Note:Italicization indicates a withdrawn candidacy) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 2012 U.S. presidential election |
|---|
| Democratic Party |
| Republican Party |
| Minor parties |
| Related races |
The Republican primary occurred on May 22, 2012.[4][5] 42 delegates were chosen, all of which were allocated to and pledged to vote forMitt Romney at the2012 Republican National Convention. Three delegates remain unpledged to any candidate. AllRepublicans in Kentucky were allowed to participate in the primary. ARepublican primary was also held in Arkansas on this day.
Rick Santorum andNewt Gingrich withdrew from thepresidential race on April 10 and May 2, 2012, respectively. Both endorsed Romney as theRepublican nominee.
| Kentucky Republican primary, 2012[6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
| Mitt Romney | 117,621 | 66.8% | 42 |
| Ron Paul | 22,074 | 12.53% | 0 |
| Rick Santorum | 15,629 | 8.87% | 0 |
| Newt Gingrich | 10,479 | 5.95% | 0 |
| Uncommitted | 10,357 | 5.88% | 0 |
| Unpledged delegates: | 3 | ||
| Total: | 176,160 | 100.00% | 45 |
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Huffington Post[7] | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| CNN[8] | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| New York Times[9] | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| Washington Post[10] | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| RealClearPolitics[11] | Solid R | November 6, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[12] | Solid R | November 5, 2012 |
| FiveThirtyEight[13] | Solid R | November 6, 2012 |
| United States presidential election in Kentucky, 2012[14] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney | Paul Ryan | 1,087,190 | 60.47% | 8 | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama (incumbent) | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 679,370 | 37.78% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson | Jim Gray | 17,063 | 0.95% | 0 | |
| Independent | Randall Terry | Missy Smith | 6,872 | 0.38% | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein | Cheri Honkala | 6,337 | 0.35% | 0 | |
| Others | 380 | 0.02% | 0 | |||
| Totals | 1,797,212 | 100.00% | 8 | |||
| Voter turnout (registered voters) | 59.24% | |||||
| County | Mitt Romney Republican | Barack Obama Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adair | 5,841 | 76.86% | 1,660 | 21.84% | 99 | 1.30% | 4,181 | 55.02% | 7,600 |
| Allen | 5,184 | 73.01% | 1,808 | 25.46% | 108 | 1.53% | 3,376 | 47.55% | 7,100 |
| Anderson | 6,822 | 66.10% | 3,315 | 32.12% | 183 | 1.78% | 3,507 | 33.98% | 10,320 |
| Ballard | 2,647 | 67.96% | 1,189 | 30.53% | 59 | 1.51% | 1,458 | 37.43% | 3,895 |
| Barren | 10,922 | 65.92% | 5,400 | 32.59% | 246 | 1.49% | 5,522 | 33.33% | 16,568 |
| Bath | 2,275 | 55.19% | 1,770 | 42.94% | 77 | 1.87% | 505 | 12.25% | 4,122 |
| Bell | 7,127 | 75.16% | 2,224 | 23.45% | 131 | 1.39% | 4,903 | 51.71% | 9,482 |
| Boone | 35,922 | 68.41% | 15,629 | 29.76% | 960 | 1.83% | 20,293 | 38.65% | 52,511 |
| Bourbon | 4,692 | 59.22% | 3,075 | 38.81% | 156 | 1.97% | 1,617 | 20.41% | 7,923 |
| Boyd | 10,884 | 57.14% | 7,776 | 40.82% | 389 | 2.04% | 3,108 | 16.32% | 19,049 |
| Boyle | 7,703 | 62.26% | 4,471 | 36.14% | 199 | 1.60% | 3,232 | 26.12% | 12,373 |
| Bracken | 2,029 | 62.78% | 1,147 | 35.49% | 56 | 1.73% | 882 | 27.29% | 3,232 |
| Breathitt | 3,318 | 66.25% | 1,562 | 31.19% | 128 | 2.56% | 1,756 | 35.06% | 5,008 |
| Breckinridge | 5,025 | 63.06% | 2,825 | 35.45% | 119 | 1.49% | 2,200 | 27.61% | 7,969 |
| Bullitt | 21,306 | 67.04% | 9,971 | 31.38% | 502 | 1.58% | 11,335 | 35.66% | 31,779 |
| Butler | 3,716 | 73.44% | 1,293 | 25.55% | 51 | 1.01% | 2,423 | 47.89% | 5,060 |
| Caldwell | 3,904 | 66.62% | 1,852 | 31.60% | 104 | 1.78% | 2,052 | 35.02% | 5,860 |
| Calloway | 9,440 | 62.63% | 5,317 | 35.28% | 315 | 2.09% | 4,123 | 27.35% | 15,072 |
| Campbell | 24,240 | 60.33% | 15,080 | 37.53% | 857 | 2.14% | 9,160 | 22.80% | 40,177 |
| Carlisle | 1,835 | 70.06% | 750 | 28.64% | 34 | 1.30% | 1,085 | 41.42% | 2,619 |
| Carroll | 1,999 | 54.32% | 1,629 | 44.27% | 52 | 1.41% | 370 | 10.05% | 3,680 |
| Carter | 5,279 | 59.26% | 3,383 | 37.98% | 246 | 2.76% | 1,896 | 21.28% | 8,908 |
| Casey | 4,904 | 80.51% | 1,086 | 17.83% | 101 | 1.66% | 3,818 | 62.68% | 6,091 |
| Christian | 13,475 | 61.38% | 8,252 | 37.59% | 228 | 1.03% | 5,223 | 23.79% | 21,955 |
| Clark | 9,931 | 64.42% | 5,228 | 33.91% | 257 | 1.67% | 4,703 | 30.51% | 15,416 |
| Clay | 6,176 | 83.65% | 1,111 | 15.05% | 96 | 1.30% | 5,065 | 68.60% | 7,383 |
| Clinton | 3,569 | 81.24% | 752 | 17.12% | 72 | 1.64% | 2,817 | 64.12% | 4,393 |
| Crittenden | 2,839 | 73.66% | 960 | 24.91% | 55 | 1.43% | 1,879 | 48.75% | 3,854 |
| Cumberland | 2,216 | 77.65% | 599 | 20.99% | 39 | 1.36% | 1,617 | 56.66% | 2,854 |
| Daviess | 25,092 | 59.62% | 16,208 | 38.51% | 787 | 1.87% | 8,884 | 21.11% | 42,087 |
| Edmonson | 3,232 | 69.24% | 1,374 | 29.43% | 62 | 1.33% | 1,858 | 39.81% | 4,668 |
| Elliott | 1,126 | 46.94% | 1,186 | 49.44% | 87 | 3.62% | -60 | -2.50% | 2,399 |
| Estill | 3,749 | 72.32% | 1,356 | 26.16% | 79 | 1.52% | 2,393 | 46.16% | 5,184 |
| Fayette | 60,795 | 48.30% | 62,080 | 49.32% | 2,991 | 2.38% | -1,285 | -1.02% | 125,866 |
| Fleming | 3,780 | 65.38% | 1,911 | 33.05% | 91 | 1.57% | 1,869 | 32.33% | 5,782 |
| Floyd | 9,784 | 65.71% | 4,733 | 31.79% | 373 | 2.50% | 5,051 | 33.92% | 14,890 |
| Franklin | 11,345 | 48.61% | 11,535 | 49.43% | 457 | 1.96% | -190 | -0.82% | 23,337 |
| Fulton | 1,425 | 57.44% | 1,022 | 41.19% | 34 | 1.37% | 403 | 16.25% | 2,481 |
| Gallatin | 1,758 | 57.43% | 1,238 | 40.44% | 65 | 2.13% | 520 | 16.99% | 3,061 |
| Garrard | 5,310 | 75.03% | 1,661 | 23.47% | 106 | 1.50% | 3,649 | 51.56% | 7,077 |
| Grant | 5,664 | 65.80% | 2,810 | 32.64% | 134 | 1.56% | 2,854 | 33.16% | 8,608 |
| Graves | 10,699 | 69.01% | 4,547 | 29.33% | 257 | 1.66% | 6,152 | 39.68% | 15,503 |
| Grayson | 6,404 | 69.08% | 2,744 | 29.60% | 123 | 1.32% | 3,660 | 39.48% | 9,271 |
| Green | 3,634 | 74.84% | 1,165 | 23.99% | 57 | 1.17% | 2,469 | 50.85% | 4,856 |
| Greenup | 8,855 | 58.38% | 6,027 | 39.73% | 286 | 1.89% | 2,828 | 18.65% | 15,168 |
| Hancock | 2,212 | 53.51% | 1,833 | 44.34% | 89 | 2.15% | 379 | 9.17% | 4,134 |
| Hardin | 23,357 | 59.56% | 15,214 | 38.79% | 647 | 1.65% | 8,143 | 20.77% | 39,218 |
| Harlan | 8,652 | 81.19% | 1,830 | 17.17% | 175 | 1.64% | 6,822 | 64.02% | 10,657 |
| Harrison | 4,556 | 63.60% | 2,471 | 34.50% | 136 | 1.90% | 2,085 | 29.10% | 7,163 |
| Hart | 4,257 | 64.29% | 2,283 | 34.48% | 82 | 1.23% | 1,974 | 29.81% | 6,622 |
| Henderson | 10,296 | 55.29% | 8,091 | 43.45% | 235 | 1.26% | 2,205 | 11.84% | 18,622 |
| Henry | 3,940 | 59.79% | 2,530 | 38.39% | 120 | 1.82% | 1,410 | 21.40% | 6,590 |
| Hickman | 1,431 | 66.90% | 686 | 32.07% | 22 | 1.03% | 745 | 34.83% | 2,139 |
| Hopkins | 13,681 | 69.21% | 5,789 | 29.29% | 297 | 1.50% | 7,892 | 39.92% | 19,767 |
| Jackson | 4,365 | 86.25% | 612 | 12.09% | 84 | 1.66% | 3,753 | 74.16% | 5,061 |
| Jefferson | 148,423 | 43.60% | 186,181 | 54.69% | 5,808 | 1.71% | -37,758 | -11.09% | 340,412 |
| Jessamine | 14,233 | 68.98% | 6,001 | 29.08% | 399 | 1.94% | 8,232 | 39.90% | 20,633 |
| Johnson | 7,095 | 78.53% | 1,723 | 19.07% | 217 | 2.40% | 5,372 | 59.46% | 9,035 |
| Kenton | 41,389 | 61.13% | 24,920 | 36.81% | 1,395 | 2.06% | 16,469 | 24.32% | 67,704 |
| Knott | 4,130 | 72.55% | 1,420 | 24.94% | 143 | 2.51% | 2,710 | 47.61% | 5,693 |
| Knox | 8,467 | 76.28% | 2,484 | 22.38% | 149 | 1.34% | 5,983 | 53.90% | 11,100 |
| LaRue | 3,911 | 67.85% | 1,733 | 30.07% | 120 | 2.08% | 2,178 | 37.78% | 5,764 |
| Laurel | 18,151 | 81.00% | 3,905 | 17.43% | 352 | 1.57% | 14,246 | 63.57% | 22,408 |
| Lawrence | 3,995 | 71.44% | 1,520 | 27.18% | 77 | 1.38% | 2,475 | 44.26% | 5,592 |
| Lee | 1,977 | 75.37% | 595 | 22.68% | 51 | 1.95% | 1,382 | 52.69% | 2,623 |
| Leslie | 4,439 | 89.62% | 433 | 8.74% | 81 | 1.64% | 4,006 | 80.88% | 4,953 |
| Letcher | 6,811 | 77.77% | 1,702 | 19.43% | 245 | 2.80% | 5,109 | 58.34% | 8,758 |
| Lewis | 3,326 | 69.74% | 1,342 | 28.14% | 101 | 2.12% | 1,984 | 41.60% | 4,769 |
| Lincoln | 6,416 | 70.10% | 2,582 | 28.21% | 154 | 1.69% | 3,834 | 41.89% | 9,152 |
| Livingston | 3,089 | 68.48% | 1,346 | 29.84% | 76 | 1.68% | 1,743 | 38.64% | 4,511 |
| Logan | 6,899 | 65.64% | 3,469 | 33.01% | 142 | 1.35% | 3,430 | 32.63% | 10,510 |
| Lyon | 2,412 | 62.83% | 1,373 | 35.76% | 54 | 1.41% | 1,039 | 27.07% | 3,839 |
| Madison | 21,128 | 63.41% | 11,512 | 34.55% | 682 | 2.04% | 9,616 | 28.86% | 33,322 |
| Magoffin | 3,391 | 69.12% | 1,433 | 29.21% | 82 | 1.67% | 1,958 | 39.91% | 4,906 |
| Marion | 3,800 | 51.93% | 3,418 | 46.71% | 100 | 1.36% | 382 | 5.22% | 7,318 |
| Marshall | 10,402 | 66.17% | 5,022 | 31.95% | 295 | 1.88% | 5,380 | 34.22% | 15,719 |
| Martin | 3,180 | 83.16% | 574 | 15.01% | 70 | 1.83% | 2,606 | 68.15% | 3,824 |
| Mason | 4,197 | 60.99% | 2,592 | 37.67% | 92 | 1.34% | 1,605 | 23.32% | 6,881 |
| McCracken | 19,979 | 65.40% | 10,062 | 32.94% | 510 | 1.66% | 9,917 | 32.46% | 30,551 |
| McCreary | 4,564 | 79.97% | 1,069 | 18.73% | 74 | 1.30% | 3,495 | 61.24% | 5,707 |
| McLean | 2,705 | 64.40% | 1,432 | 34.10% | 63 | 1.50% | 1,273 | 30.30% | 4,200 |
| Meade | 6,606 | 60.52% | 4,122 | 37.76% | 188 | 1.72% | 2,484 | 22.76% | 10,916 |
| Menifee | 1,484 | 57.12% | 1,048 | 40.34% | 66 | 2.54% | 436 | 16.78% | 2,598 |
| Mercer | 6,820 | 68.62% | 2,966 | 29.84% | 153 | 1.54% | 3,854 | 38.78% | 9,939 |
| Metcalfe | 2,676 | 63.96% | 1,425 | 34.06% | 83 | 1.98% | 1,251 | 29.90% | 4,184 |
| Monroe | 3,762 | 79.27% | 936 | 19.72% | 48 | 1.01% | 2,826 | 59.55% | 4,746 |
| Montgomery | 6,398 | 62.43% | 3,701 | 36.11% | 149 | 1.46% | 2,697 | 26.32% | 10,248 |
| Morgan | 3,021 | 67.55% | 1,369 | 30.61% | 82 | 1.84% | 1,652 | 36.94% | 4,472 |
| Muhlenberg | 7,762 | 60.93% | 4,771 | 37.45% | 206 | 1.62% | 2,991 | 23.48% | 12,739 |
| Nelson | 10,673 | 57.59% | 7,611 | 41.07% | 249 | 1.34% | 3,062 | 16.52% | 18,533 |
| Nicholas | 1,583 | 61.33% | 948 | 36.73% | 50 | 1.94% | 635 | 24.60% | 2,581 |
| Ohio | 6,470 | 67.07% | 2,987 | 30.97% | 189 | 1.96% | 3,483 | 36.10% | 9,646 |
| Oldham | 20,179 | 67.52% | 9,240 | 30.92% | 465 | 1.56% | 10,939 | 36.60% | 29,884 |
| Owen | 2,971 | 65.20% | 1,501 | 32.94% | 85 | 1.86% | 1,470 | 32.26% | 4,557 |
| Owsley | 1,279 | 80.95% | 283 | 17.91% | 18 | 1.14% | 996 | 63.04% | 1,580 |
| Pendleton | 3,556 | 64.26% | 1,859 | 33.59% | 119 | 2.15% | 1,697 | 30.67% | 5,534 |
| Perry | 8,040 | 78.51% | 2,047 | 19.99% | 154 | 1.50% | 5,993 | 58.52% | 10,241 |
| Pike | 17,590 | 74.42% | 5,646 | 23.89% | 400 | 1.69% | 11,944 | 50.53% | 23,636 |
| Powell | 2,766 | 61.73% | 1,620 | 36.15% | 95 | 2.12% | 1,146 | 25.58% | 4,481 |
| Pulaski | 20,714 | 79.66% | 4,976 | 19.14% | 313 | 1.20% | 15,738 | 60.52% | 26,003 |
| Robertson | 579 | 61.93% | 340 | 36.36% | 16 | 1.71% | 239 | 25.57% | 935 |
| Rockcastle | 5,028 | 80.89% | 1,097 | 17.65% | 91 | 1.46% | 3,931 | 63.24% | 6,216 |
| Rowan | 4,035 | 52.64% | 3,438 | 44.85% | 192 | 2.51% | 597 | 7.79% | 7,665 |
| Russell | 6,346 | 80.24% | 1,445 | 18.27% | 118 | 1.49% | 4,901 | 61.97% | 7,909 |
| Scott | 12,679 | 61.63% | 7,532 | 36.61% | 362 | 1.76% | 5,147 | 25.02% | 20,573 |
| Shelby | 11,790 | 63.17% | 6,634 | 35.55% | 239 | 1.28% | 5,156 | 27.62% | 18,663 |
| Simpson | 4,355 | 61.40% | 2,650 | 37.36% | 88 | 1.24% | 1,705 | 24.04% | 7,093 |
| Spencer | 5,726 | 67.92% | 2,549 | 30.23% | 156 | 1.85% | 3,177 | 37.69% | 8,431 |
| Taylor | 7,551 | 68.96% | 3,285 | 30.00% | 114 | 1.04% | 4,266 | 38.96% | 10,950 |
| Todd | 3,247 | 68.82% | 1,403 | 29.74% | 68 | 1.44% | 1,844 | 39.08% | 4,718 |
| Trigg | 4,520 | 67.04% | 2,115 | 31.37% | 107 | 1.59% | 2,405 | 35.67% | 6,742 |
| Trimble | 2,133 | 60.20% | 1,355 | 38.24% | 55 | 1.56% | 778 | 21.96% | 3,543 |
| Union | 3,955 | 66.15% | 1,942 | 32.48% | 82 | 1.37% | 2,013 | 33.67% | 5,979 |
| Warren | 26,384 | 60.10% | 16,805 | 38.28% | 714 | 1.62% | 9,579 | 21.82% | 43,903 |
| Washington | 3,495 | 66.97% | 1,669 | 31.98% | 55 | 1.05% | 1,826 | 34.99% | 5,219 |
| Wayne | 5,289 | 73.36% | 1,855 | 25.73% | 66 | 0.91% | 3,434 | 47.63% | 7,210 |
| Webster | 3,607 | 65.94% | 1,765 | 32.27% | 98 | 1.79% | 1,842 | 33.67% | 5,470 |
| Whitley | 10,232 | 78.27% | 2,683 | 20.52% | 157 | 1.21% | 7,549 | 57.75% | 13,072 |
| Wolfe | 1,542 | 60.26% | 976 | 38.14% | 41 | 1.60% | 566 | 22.12% | 2,559 |
| Woodford | 7,219 | 58.54% | 4,883 | 39.60% | 230 | 1.86% | 2,336 | 18.94% | 12,332 |
| Totals | 1,087,190 | 60.47% | 679,370 | 37.78% | 31,488 | 1.75% | 407,820 | 22.69% | 1,798,048 |
| Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic |
Romney won five of six congressional districts.[15]
| District | Romney | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 66.4% | 32.1% | Ed Whitfield |
| 2nd | 63.28% | 35.15% | Brett Guthrie |
| 3rd | 42.8% | 55.73% | John Yarmuth |
| 4th | 63.38% | 34.83% | Thomas Massie |
| 5th | 75% | 23.25% | Hal Rogers |
| 6th | 55.8% | 42.16% | Andy Barr |
On election night,Kentucky went as expected to theRepublican candidate, formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney, over incumbentDemocratic PresidentBarack Obama of borderingIllinois. Obama was reelected but nonetheless, lostKentucky. In most recent years, Democrats have maintained their lead in registered voters compared to Republicans.[16] However, Kentucky is known as a highly conservative state with a populist streak. In most recent presidential elections in Kentucky, Democrats usually achieve lower 40 or upper 30% margins. Obama performed significantly worse in 2012 than he did in 2008.Appalachian Kentucky used to be a place were Democrats thrived because of working-class people, particularly unionized coal miners.[17] However, this region has become increasingly Republican in recent years. Romney performed, for the most part, very well statewide. Obama won four counties. Obama was, however, able to maintain a solid performance in perhaps the most Democratic place in the state,Jefferson County (Louisville Metro). The other counties Obama won wereFranklin,Elliott andFayette.
State and district results of the2012 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also:Political party strength in Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
